Lamp retaining means for fluorescent lamp sockets



Aug. 19, 1947. c. H. HODGKINS 2,426,022

I LAMP RETAINING MEANS FOR FLUORESCENT LAMP SOCKETS 7 Filed Feb. 9, 1945 my! mp2. M 3.

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' ATTO EY Patented Aug. 19, 1947 LAMP RETAINING MEANS FOR FLUORES- CENT LAM]? SOCKETS Charles H. Hodgkins, Fairfield, Conn, assignor to The Bryant Electric Company, Bridgeport, Conn, a corporation of Connecticut Application February 9, 1945, Serial No. 576,953

Claims. (Cl. 173-328) My invention relates, generally, to lamp holders for use with tubular discharge lamps and, more particularly, to lamp holders of the locking type for use with double-ended discharge lamps, such as fluorescent lamps, for preventing the lamps from becoming accidentally disengaged from their associated holders.

The object of my invention, generally stated, is to provide a lamp holder of the locking type which shall be of simple and economical construction and which shall function to effectively prevent the lamp from becoming disengaged from the holder in the event that its contact prongs or elements become disengaged from the contact fingers of the holder.

A more specific object of my invention is to provide a lamp holder of the character described which is provided with a locking device rotatably mounted upon the end of the holder adjacent the slot or slots for receiving the contact prongs of the lamp.

Another object of my invention is to provide a holder of the character described wherein the locking device in the form of a rectangular block is rotatably mounted upon the end of the holder adjacent the slot or slots in such manner that it has a snap action between locking and unlocking positions.

A further object of my invention is to provide a holder of the character described wherein the rectangular block forming a part of the locking device is provided with cylindrical bearing portions at opposite sides adjacent one edge thereof and is attached to the end of the body portion of the holder by means of a clip member which permits rotation of the block to and from a locking position through an angle of approximately 90 degrees.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a holder of the character described wherein the clip member for rotatably attaching the block to the ends of the body portion of the holder is provided with a pair of U-shaped fastening portions and a center back spring portion which engages a squared edge of the block disposed between the cylindrical bearing portions to releasably retain the block in either of two operating positions and give it a snap action between said positions. 7

These and other objects of my invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side view in elevation of a lamp holder embodying the principal features of my invention showing the locking device in a locking position to prevent the lamp from becoming disengaged from the holder;

Fig. 2 is a side View in elevation of the holder of Fig. 1 showing the locking device in an open or unlocked position;

Fig. 3 is a front view in elevation of the holder of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a back view in elevation of the same holder;

Fig. 5 is an end view in elevation of the locking device;

Fig, 6 is a front View of the device of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is an end view in elevation of the clip member for attaching the rotatable block to the body portion of the holder; and

Fig. 8 is a front View in elevation of the clip member.

Referring now to the drawing and to Figs. 1 through 4, in particular, there is shown a preferred embodiment of my invention in the form of a lamp holder of the locking type.

The holder shown comprises a body portion Hi to which the locking device, shown generally at l I, is attached. The body portion of the holder is of hollow construction and contains a pair of contact springs or fingers l2 and 13 which are mounted within the body portion in a well known manner and having their free ends positioned adjacent one end of the body portion in cooperative relation with a slot l4 formed in the upper end and front face of the body portion.

In this instance, the end of the body portion adjacent the slot I4 is square or flat except for the V-shaped entrance portion I5 of the slot I l,

It will be readily understood that a lamp, such as that shown generally at I5, is provided with a pair of spaced contact prongs which are inserted through the entrance portion E5 of the slot [4 and are rotated into contact-making relation with the contact fingers or springs 12 and I3. This position of the lamp is shown in Fig. 1.

t will also be understood that in the event the lamp has not been properly inserted, the contact prongs thereof may become disengaged from the contact fingers of the holder, and the lamp become entirely disengaged from its associated holders.

In this particular embodiment of the invention, this is prevented through the functioning of the locking device ll mounted upon the end of the body portion of the holder.

This device is in the form of a rectangular block.

[3 of a suitable material formed as shown in ededge portion 21, as shown in Fig. 5. rounded-edge portion 2'1 permits the block 18 to Figs. 5 and 6. As shown, the block is provided at its opposite sides with the cylindrical bearing portions I9 and which extend in opposite directions in alignment with one edge 2! of the block, as best shown in Fig. 6. These bearing portions l9 and 2! are for the purpose of rotatably mounting the block :upon the end of the body portion of the holder.

The block [8 may be attached to the body portion in any suitable manner such as by means of a clip member shown generally at 22. In this instance, the clip member 22 comprises a pair of spaced U-shaped portions 23 and 24 tied together by a connecting portion 25, as shown best in Fig. 8. The U-shaped portions 23 and 24 together with their connecting portion 25 cooperate with the cylindrical bearing portions l9 and 20 of the block, as shown best in Figs. 1 and 2, for rotatably securing the block to the end of the body portion of the'holder.

In order to provide for obtaining a snap action of the locking device to and from its locking position, the block I8 is formed with a squared edge portion 26 and an oppositely disposed round- The be rotated upon the end of the-body portion betWeen the two positions as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

In other words, when the block [8 is in the position shown in Fig. 2, it may be rotated counterclockwise only into the locking position as shown in Fig. 1.

The squared-edge portion 25 of the block l8 limits the backward movement thereof to the position shown in Fig. 2. This squared-edge portion 26 engages thefiat surface of the end of the body member, as shown in Fig. 2, to definitely .limit the backward movement of the block I8.

In order to provide a snap action of the locking device-to and from its locking position, the clip -member 22 is also provided with a spring portion 29 intermediate the U-shaped portions 23 and 2 5 which cooperates with the squared edge 26 of the block [8 as shown in Figs. 1 and-2, to releasably retain it in either one of its two operating positions.

The entire clip member 22 may be made of spring material, if desired, and the straight spring portion 29 formed by making cuts 3! and 32 in the member, as shown in Fig. 8.

-Any rotational movement of the block l8 =causes the spring portion 29 to be deflected from its normal position. This imparts to the block a snap action and positively retains the block in either one of its two operating positions.

If desired; one face of the block ma be curved as shown at 33 in Fig. 3. This curvature has generally'thesame radiusas the curvature of the -base=34 of the lamp so that when the block it is actuated to its-locking position, the curved surface33 thereofengages the base 34 of the lamp, as shown in Fig. 1.

damp could readily fall therefrom if it were not forzthe' locking device.

view of the foregoing description of the preferred embodiment of my invention, it will be -:apparent .thatthe lamp-holder provided thereby -;is -suitab1e1for :use with double-ended tubular lamps of all sizes and will function eifectively to securely lock the lamps to their associated holders.

The use of a locking device hinged or pivotally mounted upon the end of the lamp holder has several advantages over other devices in general use. It is of simple construction, and since the device is securely attached to thebody portion of the holder, it cannot become lost during relamping operations. The locking device is composed of a minimum number of simple parts which are easily formed and assembled to the body portion of the holder. The snap action of the locking device of my invention makes it more positive in operation and insures that it will either be in a looking or a non-locking position.

While I have disclosed a particular embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that modifications and changes may be made therein without departing from the principles of the invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. A lamp holder of the lamp-locking type for use with tubular lamps having spaced contact pins at the ends thereof comprising, a body member containing spaced contact fingers and having a cooperating slot in the end and front face thereof to receive the contact pinsof the lamp, a locking member mounted on said end of the body member, said locking member having opposed cylindrical bearing portions at its sides in engagement with the end surface of the body member, and a U-shaped clip member attached to the body member over said bearing portions to rotatably secure the locking member thereto and permit movement thereof into and out of obstructing relation with the entrance portion of the slot.

2. A lamp holder of the lamp-lockingtype for use with tubular lamps having spaced contact pins at the ends thereof comprising, a body member containing spaced contact fingers and having a cooperating slot in the end and front face thereof to receive the contact pins of-the lamp, a locking member mounted on the-end of the body member adjacent the entrance'portion of the slot, said member being in the form of rectangular block having cylindrical oppositely extending bearing portions at its -sides -and a square back edge surface extending between said bearing portions, and a clip member having spaced U-shaped portions attached to the end of the body member on said bearing portions to rotatably secure the locking member thereto, said clip member having a spring portion engaging the square back edge surface of the block to retain it in either an open or closed position with respect to the slot in the bodymember.

3. A lamp holder of the lamp-locking type for use with tubular lamps having spacedcontact pins at the ends thereof comprising, a body member containin spaced contact fingers and having a cooperating slot in the end and front face thereof toreceive the contact pins-of the lamp, a locking member mounted on theend-of the body member adjacent the slot, said member being in the form of a rectangular block having oppositely disposed cylindrical bearing portions at its sides and a square back edgeand a rounded front edge extending betweensaid bearing portions, a clip member having spaced U-shaped portions attached 'to' the end of .ithe body member to rotatably secure theblockthereto, said clip -member 'havinga straight back sprin portion extending between the U.-.shaped portions disposed to engage the squareback edge of the block to releasably hold said block in either a covering or uncovering position with respect to the entrance portion of the slot and functioning to give said block a snap action between said positions.

4. A lamp holder of the lamp-locking type for use with tubular lamps having spaced contact pins at the ends thereof comprising, a body member containing spaced contact fingers and having a cooperating slot in the end and front face thereof to receive the contact pins of the lamp, said end of the body member being relatively fiat, a locking member mounted on the said end of the body member, said member being in the form of a rectangular block having oppositely disposed cylindrical bearing portions extending outwardly at its opposite sides adjacent one end thereof, and clip means engaging said bearing portions for rotatably securing said block to the end of the body member for movement toward and away from the front face of the housing, one edge of the said one end of the block being rounded and positioned adjacent the front face of the housing and the opposite edge being square between the bearing portions and disposed to engage the relatively fiat end surface of the body member when the block is in one position, whereby the block may be rotated to and from an obstructing position with respect to the entrance portion of the slot 0 2 22 54 through an angle of approximately ninety degrees.

5. A lamp holder of the lamp locking type for use with tubular lamps having spaced contact pins at the ends thereof comprising, a body member containing spaced contact fingers and having a cooperating slot in the end and front face thereof to receive the contact pins of the lamp, a locking member in the form of a generally rectangular block mounted on said end of the body member, means interposed between the block and body member for hingedly securing the block to the said end of the body member for movement toward and away from the front face of the body member into and out of obstructing relation with the entrance portion of the slot, and spring means interposed between the body member and block operable to releasably hold said block in an obstructing position over the entrance portion of the slot.

CHARLES H. HODGKINS.

REFERENCES CITED UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,989,823 Raabe Feb. 5, 1935 413,636 Van Gestel Oct. 22, 1889 Summers Jan. 14, 1941 

